Indianapolis. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, and the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit to beat the Indiana Pacers 111-104 on Friday night, evening the NBA Finals at two games apiece.
Jalen Williams added 27 points, Alex Caruso had 20, and Chet Holmgren finished with 14 points and 15 rebounds for the Thunder. Oklahoma City overcame the odds with a season-low three made 3-pointers, and notably, zero assists from Gilgeous-Alexander for the first time all season.
Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 20 points, while Tyrese Haliburton added 18 and Obi Toppin scored 17.
Game 5 of the now best-of-three series is set for Monday night in Oklahoma City, where the Thunder have reclaimed home-court advantage.
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The Thunder also kept their championship hopes alive. Teams with a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals have gone on to win the title 37 out of 38 times. The Pacers appeared on track to become the 39th, but Oklahoma City stormed back just in time.
Gilgeous-Alexander, the league MVP, delivered nine straight points in crunch time to help the Thunder seize control.
Indiana came out fast, scoring 20 points in the first 4:59, only the second time all season Oklahoma City allowed so many that quickly. The Pacers led by as many as nine early, but failed to build a decisive lead.
Tensions also flared for the first time in the series. Toppin was called for a Flagrant 1 foul on Caruso midway through the second quarter, then took a Flagrant 1 from Lu Dort just before halftime. Indiana closed the half on a 15-6 run to take a 60-57 lead into the break.
Toppin’s baseline dunk late in the third quarter gave the Pacers an 86-76 lead, their first double-digit edge of the series, coming in the 15th quarter. But the Thunder answered with a 13-3 run to tie the game at 89 early in the fourth.
From there, it was back and forth: tied at 91, tied at 95, and again at 97.
Then came the turning point. Gilgeous-Alexander’s step-back jumper with 2:23 left put the Thunder ahead 104-103, their first lead of the second half. They never trailed again.
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